Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-03-25
NcLENrltlc AGRLcrLrrRE

SPEECH oF GEN CIRCUIT IN SUPPORT or THE
AGRCuiTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BILL.
In the House of Representatives on Feb
ruarv 9lth. Gen " W Circuit of this Con
gressional district made an able speech IN
favor Of House bill 2g33. to establish ag
riculturnl experiment stations in connection
with the agricultural colleges in the several
states lie began by asking the clerk 90
read the joint resolution on the subject
adopted 10y the Legislature OF Vermont at
the last session, and proceeded to say that
this was the expression OF IA people largely
engaged in agriculture. and whose hills are
not So green a. they once were, owing TO
neglect largely due to lack of scientific
knowledge 10 return 10 the soil the requi
site elements to support continual cropping
In short said he, the time has come IN
the history of Vermont farming when. if
there is anything III agricultural chemistry
the Vermont farmer needs the benefit of it
The time has come when hapha2ard sys
TEN If cropping and Of fertiliziug FOR the
crop brings results altogether too uncertain
for successful husbandry And what is thus
true of Vermont is equally true Of all New
England and Of the Middle States also-and
in fact. Of the whole Atlantic seabOard
from Maine 10 the Gulf of Mexico. Not
only this, hut it is rapidly becoming true of
the newer states throughout the great West
Nov. the question of fertilization has be
come "A leading one, and involves not only
the inquiry of how most completely to save
the waste from the farm and transfer it
without loss of quality to the soil, but how
to supplement this homemade fertilizer with
such commercial elements a. may be neces-
sary TO produce in perfection given crop,
or perchance to supply the particular IN
gradients in which the soil may be wanting
and fit it for a profitable production of all
crops The answer to this question depends
upon whether it is Understandings made
whether it is made with special reference
to the necessities of the soil 1t depends,
for instance upon whether that soil requires
nitrogen. nitrate of sodium potash, phos
phoric acid or superphosphate of lime-my
chemistry fails me to 20 through the entire
list-and whether its wants are supplied.
Now, all this belongs to the domain Of
agricultural chemistry. But what does the
average farmer know of agricultural chem
istry Confessedly, nothing whatever
and as the result he is paying at random,
and may be paying $50, perhaps $50. per
ton for u fertilizer, when one costing one
half or a quarter much would answer the
same purpose in producing a crop for 1t is
sometimes the case that the chemical cOndi-
ton of the soil is such that it needs only "a
simple inexpensive substance to set free
the wealth of plant food which it already
contains, but which is SO locked up by some
other substance as to render the soil unpro-
ductive until chemical change is produced
| 10y the union of these substances. But to
know all this one must understand chemis
try, must possess the expensive apparatus
for chemical analysis, and must have com
I 1 E 4.
menting. But every one knows that these
things are wholly out of the question with
the average farmer every one knows that
he is without knowledge of chemistry and
has neither money nor time for expert
ments In his struggle to pay off the mort
| gage upon his farm and feed, clothe and ed
| ucate his children, he has all and frequently
more than he can do Nevertheless this in
| formation is necessary to his success and
/ how Is he to acquire 1t How, except from
1 the agricultural experiment station such as
/ is provided by this bill, to which he may
send samples of his soil for analysis and
/ from which he may learn the relative value
of fertilizers and their adaptability to the
wants of his soil , The work of the eXper-
iment station is educational in character
and upon every principle of sound publ,
policy entitled to the support Of the state
''lalleyrand, prime minister under the
great Napoleon. said Both education anC
| agriculture ought 10 be assisted by govern
ment wit and manufactures will com,
of themselves Now, while the American
people, following iii part the formula of THU
noted French statesman, find themselves
famous for a plentiful lack of wit, they
cannot he said 10 have left manufactures L
themselves. Under a very liberal protec
tive tariff, consistently maintained for nov
more than a quarter of century, the man
ufactures of this country long since lief
the day of small things. The manufac
turers of goods from iron and brass AM
copper and cotton and wool, and of lumbe
and other staple articles, are among til
wealthiest citizens Of the republic, while tn
labor employed in these manufactures
well fed and well housed and As IA rule
contented and happy